1. Field of Invention
A long board for street skating having an offset axial joint with a lower hinge support block on a front segment and a lower hinge support block on a rear segment having a hinge which folds the board, the offset joint allowing a front set of wheels to set behind a rear set of wheels in a folded position for a more compact profile, each lower hinge support block providing the hinge so that each front and rear segment are parallel in a stored and folded position. In furtherance, the lower hinge support block may be provided with at least one locking pin inserted through common longitudinal bores of at least one bore channel through the lower hinge locking blocks in an elongated position. Still further, where there are two locking pins, the locking pins may be joined by a common wire or strap to maintain the pins together and also to provide a carrying handle for the board where the board is folded and the pins are inserted into to longitudinal bores while in the folded position.
2. Description of Prior Art
A preliminary review of prior art patents was conducted by the applicant which reveal prior art patents in a similar field or having similar use. However, the prior art inventions do not disclose the same or similar elements as the present folding long board, nor do they present the material components in a manner contemplated or anticipated in the prior art.
Several skateboard patents are disclosed by an inventor named Thomas K. Hong, as indicated in U.S. Pat. No. 7,976,034, and two design patents, D633584 and D505470. A base patent was filed and published as Application pub. No. 2005/02122465. In the issued patent and the two design patents, a folding skateboard is disclosed which has a front deck, a center deck and a rear deck attached by two respective hinges, all of which fold the board where each upper surface of each deck is folded towards each other. In the published application, in paragraph [0045] to [0051], a skateboard is disclosed having a front board portion and a rear board portion attached by a single hinge directly attached to each front and rear board section on the upper surfaces of the board sections with the board being folded “with top surface 251 of the front board portion 250 facing the top surface 251 of the rear board portion 250.” Referenced claims in that application directed towards the bi-folding skateboard are claims 13-20. Reference is made to a FIG. 9 of that application, but FIG. 9 does not actually show what is referenced within the above noted paragraphs, which is perhaps the reason why that subject matter was not included in the final issued patent '034 nor were any of the related claims included in the issued patent.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,931 to Globerson, a folding skateboard is disclosed which is divided into three sections, on section measuring about half the length of the skateboard, a middle section measuring the height of the truck and wheel assembly, and a third section constituting the remaining length of the skateboard, where the folded position provides the wheel assemblies offset to where there is no contact. This skateboard also provides a carrying strap 36. The skateboard is locked into position by several locking devices, including side support members attached to the side margins of the board in the elongated position, as well as rods slid within cut grooves along the linear axis of the board.
A spring articulating skateboard is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,455 to Chambers which has a front section and rear section attached by a spring, which allows the skateboard to pivot up and down at the joint between the front and rear section. This board, however, appears to be incapable of being folded for a stored position and appears to be prone to exist in the elongated position at rest. U.S. Pat. No. 4,195,857 to Hechinger has a folding tail fin and U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,474 to Yeh folds into three section in a sideways configuration as shown within that patent.